Chicken with candied pumpkin and chickpeas

serves / 4 cook / 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

4 (about 670g) chicken thigh fillets, fat trimmed, cut into thirds

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500g diced butternut pumpkin

400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained

125ml ( 1⁄ cup) chicken-style

2 liquid stock

40g butter

45g ( 1⁄ cup) walnuts or 3 pecans

2 tbsp seed mix (pepitas, sunflower seeds and pine nuts)

2 tsp coconut sugar

1⁄ tsp ground cinnamon 2 100g baby spinach Thick natural yoghurt, to serve Flatbread, to serve (optional)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over mediumhigh heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic and pumpkin and cook, stirring often, for 710 minutes, until the pumpkin is almost tender and beginning to caramelise around the edges.

3. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the chickpeas and stock and stir to combine. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 4 minutes. Uncover and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced, pumpkin is tender and chicken is cooked through.

4. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the nuts and seed mix and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until the nuts are lightly toasted. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Stir for 30 seconds, until the nuts and seeds are well coated. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. Add the spinach to the chicken mixture and stir until wilted. Dollop the yoghurt over the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the nut and seed mixture. Serve with flatbread to mop up the sauce, if you like.

TIP: You can use chicken breast fillet, cut into 5cm pieces, instead of chicken thighs if you like.